Newly appointed Bishop John Noonan displayed the spirituality, humility and humor many Orlando Catholics were hoping for in a new bishop during his 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. James Cathedral on Sunday.

"I'm a little apprehensive. I'm a little afraid. I feel like the new kid in school," he told about 350 worshippers squeezed into a makeshift sanctuary while the cathedral undergoes renovation. "I'm not used to these surroundings, but I've heard you're not used to these surroundings either."

In his homily, he spoke to how "religion" — derived from the Latin for "to bring together" — can both be unifying and divisive. To truly live the faith, he said, good Catholics must bring together religion and spirituality in their lives.

"Sometimes we have to humble ourselves to be exalted," he said. "The only way to be exalted is to let God love us."

After the service, he stood in the courtyard and received the congregation, shaking their hands, touching their shoulders, asking them about where they work, where they're from, and posing for pictures. He told a Haitian parishioner he needed to brush up on his Creole.

"Your humility is wonderful and very refreshing," a woman told him, his hand clasped in hers. "I really felt the connection with you."

Noonan, who will be officially installed as the Orlando Catholic Diocese's fifth bishop on Dec. 16, speaks with a slight accent from his native Ireland. He comes to Orlando after 27 years with the Miami Archdiocese where he has served as auxiliary bishop since 2005.

Noonan, 59, succeeds Thomas Wenski, who became Archbishop of Miami in June. Noonan said after the service that he hasn't had time to discuss the Orlando Diocese with Wenski, but expects to do that soon. His motto in life doesn't allow him to worry too much about what lies ahead: "God before me, God with me."

"I love being a priest. I love being a bishop. I love people," he said.

To some St. James parishioners, Noonan seemed more down-to-earth than Wenski, who took over the Catholic Church in Central Florida in 2004 with great ambitions to shake up and invigorate the diocese. That vision, which included a $150 million capital campaign in the middle of a deep recession, energized some and alienated others.

Pauline Brennan, 67, of Orlando, said Wenski had a strength and gentleness that she hopes the new bishop can match: "I want a continuation of what Bishop Wenski did."

Others felt Wenski's lofty vision didn't extend to the wants, desires and needs of parishioners. In Noonan, they see someone more like them.

Christina Giorgi, 55, of Orlando, said she observed how Noonan treated all he met with the same dignity and courtesy, regardless of class or rank. He's the sort of guy who's nice to the janitors, she said.

Alexa Williams said Noonan seemed comfortable during the Sunday Mass, as though he had been leading the congregation for years. In his entrance and exit, Noonan nodded to parishioners as he passed. During his sermon, he stepped down to preach in front of the pews.

"It felt like he was one of the people. He has that presence that all are welcome," Williams, 32, of Orlando.